Omari Dill To Lead WindReach Environmental
WindReach added an Environmental Education Programme in fall 2021, with Omari Dill leading the endeavour.
A spokesperson said, “WindReach has expanded the breadth of their educational and therapeutic programmes as they officially added an Environmental Education Programme back in early fall 2021. Mr. Omari Dill, one of Bermuda’s only qualified agronomists, has been hired to lead it.
“We are thrilled to confirm Omari as one of the newer members of our staff team and have already witnessed the creative nature that he engages programme participants.
“Our primary goal is to bring awareness of the appropriate use of our environment and to maintain and increase biodiversity so that our participants and visitors leave with a greater appreciation of the environment on a local and global scale. Some of the educational activities include; plant identification for food, medicine and toxicity, native, endemic and invasive species.”
Mr. Dill said, “In the WindReach Environmental Education Programme we explore the many fun, useful and creative ways to interact with our natural environment. One of my recent Pre-School lesson plans was all about sticks! Children are often told how dangerous playing with sticks are and discouraged from picking them up altogether.
“At WindReach we encourage playing with sticks and demonstrate safe, fun and appropriate uses of them. The students were invited to use the sticks and mud collected around the WindReach Natural Environment to build animal shelters like the ones our Therapy Animals live in, and also as natural building blocks developing fine motor skills. They were then allowed to turn their sticks into magic wand paint brushes using casuarina leaves as bristles, and paint life-sized canvases by swinging their sticks to create magical masterpieces.”
The spokesperson said, “The natural environment has been used as a tool within WindReach’s programming framework from their inception and the Educational & Therapeutic programmes rely heavily on the sustainable use and access of the natural environment.
“There is a heavy focus on gardening in order to help our participants to be directly involved in the cycles that govern the natural world, as we encourage them to become a key part in the development of our landscape throughout the seasons.”
Mr. Dill said, “There is also a heavy focus on gardening in order to help our participants to be directly involved in the cycles that govern the natural world, as we encourage them to become a key part in the development of our landscape throughout the seasons.
“Participants are involved in seed to table activities, arts and crafts with natural elements, animal interactions and adventures around our natural environment that is home to trees and trails and which support an abundance of creatures flying overhead, creeping alongside us or slithering under our feet.”
Tammalita Joseph, WindReach’s Fund Development Manager, said, “We would like to acknowledge and say a special thank you to SiriusPoint for their recent financial support of this programme and their belief in educating our future leaders and problem solvers around the environment and its sustainability.”
Jillian Benson, a member of the SiriusPoint Bermuda Charitable Donations Committee, said, “SiriusPoint is pleased to partner with WindReach in the healthy and sustained development of our environment, and the people who live alongside and within it. Supporting the goals and objectives of the Environmental Education Programme at WindReach fits our Corporate Charitable Giving Mandate, to assist, support and encourage community development within the areas of education, the environment and mental health.
“Our support will help WindReach’s Environmental Education Programme continue to thrive and provide meaningful and outcome-based educational and therapeutic activities around horticulture, gardening and environmental stewardship to participants of all ages, from pre-school aged children to the Adult Day Programme seniors.
“SiriusPoint values WindReach’s inclusive approach to working with individuals with diverse needs and we’re proud to have WindReach as one of our community partners, thereby supporting their continued efforts to Inspire, Empower and Change Lives.”
The spokesperson said, “To learn more about how your group or individual students can participate in our Environmental Education Programme, please visit our website.”
Read More About
Category: All, Environment, News
